Samba and Jessica Ungerer (Anne Gittins Photography) Samba and Jessica Ungerer were awarded championship honors for the Adult Amateur 18-35 Hunter division during week three of the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF). Ungerer and her eight-year-old German Warmblood gelding are trained by Robert Bielefield and Jeff Ayres. The pair won both over fences classes during day one of competition for the division and were second and fourth over fences before winning the under saddle...

The Western Dressage world is abuzz with dressage talk. The hot topic of the moment seems to be progressive training, especially as it has to do with pyramids and scales. Pyramids are extremely stable structures that rely on strong, broad foundations and which rise to a point, a pinnacle if you will that represents a point of focus. Without the foundation, the pyramid loses strength. The intrinsic nature of the structure itself necessitates culmination in a point. The pyramid is the perfect...

Two-time World Driving Championship silver medalist Chester C. Weber of Ocala, FL, won the FEI Four-in-Hand division at the 2012 Live Oak International (www.PicsOfYou.com) Ocala, FL - Live Oak International, the only equestrian event in North America to feature both world-class driving and show jumping, returns to Ocala, FL, from March 20 to 24, 2013. For more than 20 years, Live Oak International has been known for its international driving competition. This year, it will offer the highest...

I’m Angelea Kelly Walkup; animal lover, web personality, writer, and dressage rider. For those of you that know me you’re familiar with my USEF Pegasus award-winning work at HorseGirlTV® tag lined, Tune in. Tack up.® and I thank you for watching the series. Still read on as there are free products in store for you plus you just might learn something new about me. For those of you that don’t know me yet, you too read on as there are free products in store and hopefully...

The endurance community has just lost a champion, advocate, ambassador with the death of Anne Ayala. She compiled a record of over 3700 miles in her remarkable partnership with Overlook Nuryev, better known as Beau. Beau and Anne were the recipients of the 2000 AERC Pard'ners Award given annually to a horse and rider team that best exemplifies the unique bond between horse and rider. She was the visionary and driving force behind bringing the trail system at the Biltmore Estate up to the...

Lexington, KY - To reach the highest level of excellence in equestrian sport requires talent, perseverance, a tremendous spirit and often, unwavering courage. In 2012, six horses have shown the world those qualities and more. On January 18, the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) will bestow two of them with the prestigious title of Horse of the Year, the highest honor the USEF awards a horse. Again this year both a national and international horse will win. The six champions have earned...

Lexington, KY - Voting is now open for the coveted 2012 USEF Equestrian of the Year award. Following decades of tradition, the winner will again be announced when the horse world meets at the United States Equestrian Federation's annual Pegasus Awards gala. This year's gala will be held on Saturday, January 19, 2013 at The Henry Clay in Louisville, Kentucky and broadcast live on the USEFNetwork presented by Smartpak . Known as the USEF Equestrians of Honor, eight stars of equestrian...

This is a truly thrilling time to be a part of Western Dressage and the Western Dressage Association® of America! I recently had the opportunity to chat with Cliff Swanson, who has been instrumental in many facets of the program, including authoring and editing the new tests, working with the Rules Committee, developing the Train The Trainers™ Program and conducting a wonderful series of Skill Set Clinics. Cliff also sits on the Advisory Board for the WDAA. According to Cliff,...

The twenty fourth in a series of blog posts from Michelle Binder North American Western Dressage receives all kinds of questions at the website and on our FaceBook page. Last week Jen Johnson shared the following in a post and it generated a huge amount of material for consideration. She posted: “I received an email last night from a **** judge who had the following concerns about Western Dressage..... “The problem is that the western horse is going to have to be much quicker in...

The twenty third in a series of blog post from Michelle Binder I began this Western Dressage Blog specifically as a blog for NAWD to help raise public awareness about WD groups other than WDAA. I saw a need for publicity specific to that organization. I also saw a need for a forum that presented the reality that other organizations with different missions and goals regarding WD existed. USEF has not licensed Western Dressage as an independent discipline so at this time there is no officially...